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February 15, 2008
Hot Chip, Live @ Highline Ballroom, New York City, 02.02.2008
photos by Devon Banks
Though Hot Chip's recent show in New York City couldn't be credibly spun as anything but a good time, I'm having a hard time thinking of it as anything more. Which, of course, is perfectly fine. We go to concerts to be entertained after all, to be taken out of whatever other concerns are currently dominating our lives. There should be no grounds for complaint in a fun, tight show. But I think my growing ambivalence about it has to do with how immediate and narrow its scope was. My normal gestation period for these write ups is at least a week, so, in that waiting period, the lingering impressions I have from a show tend to slowly solidify, eventually turning into the tale I wish to tell. With Hot Chip though, the enjoyment was so wrapped up the instant, in the immediate kinetic energy of rhythm and movement, that every day I get further away from its physicality, the less tangible it seems and the less I have to say about it.
Like my advance knowledge of Made in the Dark, the show began with "Shake a Fist" and then worked its way down. In concert, the song is svelte and focused. No "sounds of the studio" spoken interlude, and fewer sounds in general. Stopping the track dead like that is slightly perverse on record, and completely idiotic in a room full of dancing people, so clearly they handle it correctly. "Boy From School" was another immediate favorite for the sold out and dressed up room, who admirably had no qualms about getting down.
But when the motion stopped, so did the momentum. "Over and Over" absolutely killed, as did a more muscular "Ready for the Floor." But when it came to the band's flipside R& B balladry, there was gracious applause but a lack of connection. Maybe they should be content with being an ace party band and leave it at that.
Also, despite a tightness in rhythm that I want to take special care not to undervalue, there seems to be a good deal of room for them to grow as showmen. I realize that as a synth-based band, they are always going to be stuck behind the keys to a certain extent (as you can see from the photos). But in order to excite the crowd consistently, in ways that aren't dictated by tempo, some sort of solution is needed. Be it elaborate sets, a more sophisticated light show, external video, or even just empty space on stage for band members to roam, the set-up is a bit static for a band that thrives on motion. A World Championship replica belt was not enough to make "Wrestlers" less silly or more compelling, alas. To certain degree, I get that the "normal, nerdy dudes making you move" image is one they've taken pains to cultivate, but I think they are missing a certain something.
So, short story short--good show, good fun. Transcending the moment may be overrated, anyway, if the moment is sufficiently pleasurable.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at February 15, 2008 12:40 PM
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